Day #7

(It is a Polish tradition to put a lock on this particular

bridge. It means your love will last forever.)

 

We anticipate that Daddy will be in ICU for another week. Medium care will be for approximately two weeks and then aggressive hospital physical therapy will be another 3 to five weeks.

His recovery may take months or even years. Again, he isn't allowed visitors for now. The reason for no visitors is because the stimulation that his brain must have right now, must go towards standing, swallowing,

eating, moving his arms and legs and all the other 'normal' activities that we usually don't have to think about. Conversation and visits divert his brain from what is necessary right now.

We are fasting for him today, and breaking our fast Wednesday at dinner and we

are fasting and hoping to be inspired as to how we can help him the most and bless his heart, to get

that man to progress enough that we can get that blasted tube out. We already are feeling some inspiration and here is what has come to us.

First, since he does suffer from anxiety, we are going to reassure him and constantly tell him specific encouragement that he will have an enjoyable life.

Number two, we are going to ask the surgeon if we could use music in any of his therapy. Daddy LOVES music so much that if we could just play some of his favorite tunes during physical therapy? Who knows, maybe.

Third, we have maybe 20, 8x10 pictures of him and family and we are going to take them off the wall and show him a few a day for healthy reminders of what he has going for him.

 

 In physical therapy, they

are trying to get him to stand up. Four people holding him and completely

supporting him is 'much progess'. We discovered that his pain medication might be the reason why he is so stinking drowsy in the morning when the doctor sees him. He doesn't take pain medication during the day, but the night nurses have given him some when he requests it. So the doctor ordered tylenol for future pain relief and we will see how that affects things. It is so hard to get him to try and do things when he is asleep.

Not much by way of hand squeezing today. He is so tired from physical therapy!

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

The doctor says that everyone is different and heals at a different rate. He is very optimistic for his recovery.

 

(A medieval Polish prison)